Blessings to Learn From
by nsane1
Summary: In a world where coincidence doesn’t exist, every mistake has a purpose, and there is no such thing as an accident.
1. Part One

_**Blessings to Learn From**_

Spoilers: Act of Contrition, the miniseries.  
Rating: K+ (may change; I'm not sure yet)  
Summary: In a world where coincidence doesn't exist, every mistake has a purpose, and there is no such thing as an accident.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Battlestar Galactica. I do however, own this storyline and all ideas contained within.  
Author's Note: While I came up with most of the theory that drives this piece, one key idea was contributed by Beka (who puts up with my strange theories, of which there are many). So thank you! Now onto my long awaited longer piece.

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Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself and know that everything in this life has a purpose. There are no mistakes, no coincidences, all events are blessings given to us to learn from. –**Elisabeth Kuebler-Ross**

**-------------------------------------------**

_Where are you going?_

_To write a letter—to my dad, remember? I'll let you read it when I'm done, don't worry. I won't say too much about you._

_Yeah._

_Everything okay, Kara? You're not having second thoughts—are you?_

_Of course not. I'm fine. Tired._

_Kara—_

_Go write, okay?_

When Lee finds her, she's sitting on her bunk with a half-empty bottle of ambrosia, and at the rate she's drinking it, it won't last long. "I thought you'd be here, like this. Where'd you get the ambrosia?"

"Frak off, Lee. Your dad came and gave it to me a little while ago. He actually understands the concept of sympathy."

"Forgiveness, too." He knows that look in her eyes means she'd throw the bottle at his head if it were empty, and he holds up his hands and sits down next to her. "I'm sorry, Kara…it's also a hard day for me, not just for you and my dad."

"I know." She offers him the bottle and he takes a few long swallows, then hands it back. "You can't help being an ass. I understand."

He doesn't call her on it. At the moment, she's not his subordinate officer and he's not her CAG. "Drowned enough yet?"

She finishes the bottle. "Not even close."

_So, um…what's your name?_

_Shelly. Shelly Godfrey._

_Funny. You don't really look like a Shelly._

_Don't I._

_My apologies. I've only recently come from work, and I'm quite tired._

_You're Dr. Gaius Baltar, aren't you? The one they've hired to work on the Integrated Defense Network? I've seen your picture all over the news._

_Why, yes. I'm Dr. Baltar. Please, call me Gaius._

_Gaius._

"Are you worried about her?"

He looks over his shoulder at Six, who's massaging his shoulders in the way that only she can. "Worried about whom?"

"You know who I'm talking about. Lt. Thrace. Kara. Starbuck."

"Why should I be worried?"

Six growls softly, leaning close to his ear. "I know your mind, Gaius. Don't ever forget that."

"Well, that's wonderful, because I don't know my mind. I'm glad someone does." He pulls away and lays back on his bed, and she straddles him and looks him in the eye.

"Don't you want to know why you should be worried?"

"Are you going to kill her? I should warn—" He tries to get up, but she leans forward and presses him firmly to the bed, laughing a little.

"She's not that important. It's more…_someone_ who was important to her. He died exactly two years ago."

* * *

to be continued... 

to be continued faster if i get reviews...;)


	2. Part Two

_Why did he die?_

_He crashed, sir._

_I know that, Lieutenant. I want your honest opinion, as his flight instructor, why he died trying to make that landing._

_It was—um, one of his first, on a Viper. A real Viper. Uh, I think he must've pushed too hard on the throttle. Didn't ease up fast enough._

_A lot of pilots get nervous like that._

_Yes, sir. Uh—they said there was something funny with his equipment, too. With his computer._

_I heard, Lieutenant. Thank you._

_You're welcome. Um, sir? Is it true they're talking about automated landings?_

_They're talking about a lot more than that, Lieutenant, but you didn't hear it from me. I'll see you on the _Galactica

She wakes up when he shakes her and mumbles something that sounds like, "I'm going to frakking kiss you, Lee."

"What?"

"I'm going to frakking kill you, Lee," she repeats, sitting up and glaring at him with bleary, red eyes. That wasn't what he heard the first time, but he's been known to be wrong.

"You can't kill me. I brought coffee."

"Hand it over." He gives it to her and she swallows it as quickly as she can. "Now I'll kill you. What time is it, anyway?"

"Oh six hundred." Before she can kill him, he holds his hands up. "Commander wants to see you, or I'd have let you sleep in. Any way to shorten the time you actually have to be awake...it must be important, though."

"Frak. I'm still drunk, Lee." To prove it, she gets up and attempts to get dressed, even though she still is from when she started drinking—midnight exactly—and wobbles around.

He herds her into a cold shower, almost smiling as she uses every single curse she knows at least five times, and by the time she gets out, she's at least a little more sober. "Coffee," he says, giving her another mug as they walk to his father's quarters.

"Oh, good, you're here. Have a seat, Kara." Lee narrowly saves her from missing the seat entirely, and gives his father a look as he starts to leave. "Lee, stay. You need to hear this, too. I received some information we need to talk about."

"At frakking oh six hundred?" Kara asks, wavering in her seat.

"It's something that might you help get through the day. Now listen."

_The project that you're working on, the IDN—it's top secret, isn't it?_

_Of the highest confidentiality._

_So I can't see what you're doing._

_That's generally what confidentiality and secrecy means, yes._

_So I can't admire your work? See the amazing things you do?_

_Oh, come now. You don't actually mean that. There must be another reason._

_Perhaps._

_Perhaps? I'm not going to show you on perhaps._

_Then let me explain it to you…my company is bidding on a contract regarding your IDN…and we need help getting it._

_And you thought maybe I could help you._

_You're the only one who can._

He lays in bed next to her, under the sheet that's the only thing covering them. "That was a good job of distracting me, but I can't be fooled for long."

"Can't you?"

She rolls on top of him and leans down to kiss him, but he turns away. "What did you mean about Ka—Lt. Thrace? Who died?"

She shrugs and moves away, leaving the sheet with him, and he's almost distracted again. "Her lover. Zak Adama."

"She had a lover?"

"Just because she doesn't want you doesn't mean she doesn't want other men," Six points out with a smile. He decides she's definitely too pleased that Kara doesn't want him, or perhaps amused that he wants Kara and can't have her.

"Zak Adama…was he related to the Commander and the Captain?"

"Your brilliance astounds me, Gaius," she says, wandering outside and slipping into the hot tub in his villa.

"And he died two years ago? That's around the time…"

"Brilliant, Gaius. Brilliant," she says with a pleased smile, extending her hand.


	3. Part Three, section One

Disclaimer: In a shocking turn of events, I have been unsuccessful in my efforts to steal Battlestar Galactica. So nothing but this story and the ideas contained within it belong to me.  
Author's Note: Gaius and Six's part is yet to come, but they're being difficult and I thought I should give you something.

* * *

_Good morning, sir._

_Good morning, Starbuck. What do you hear?_

_Nothing but the rain._

_Grab your gun and bring in the cat._

_Boom boom boom._

_Life getting any better?_

_CAG said he might let me go out on patrol tomorrow, if I behave._

_Will you?_

_I plan to, sir._

_I know it's been hard, Kara—_

_Nearly one year without flying has been frakking impossible._

_But you've been doing well. If he doesn't let you, I'll talk to him. You've done enough deck work by now._

_I know the innards of a Viper just as well as I know the cockpit, sir._

_Kara—next week. Come by my quarters. I don't want to spend the day alone, and I don't think you should, either._

_Yes, sir. Thank you, sir._

"Dad, what's going on?" Lee asks, moving his chair closer to Kara's so she wont fall on the floor in one way or another like she's threatening to do. The smell of alcohol is heavy in the air.

"Kara, do you remember what you told me when I asked you why Zak died?" his father asks, ignoring him. Lee starts to retort—perhaps he's been hanging around Kara for too long—but Kara beats him to it.

"I can barely remember what I frakking said last night."

"Sir, can't this—"

"Lee. _Captain_. This is important. Kara, you told me they thought there was a computer error involved with Zak's crash."

"Um—you'd already heard about it," Kara agrees, taking another few gulps of her coffee. Her eyes are starting to clear a little, and he guesses the topic sobered her up faster than any coffee or cold shower.

"I received some information today, about an hour ago, that the computer error might have been deliberate."

Kara shakes her head and stands up, lurching forward. His father, who stood up at the same time, catches her and holds her hands when she blindly lashes out. "No. No, you're frakking not doing this to me, you hear? You can't. You're lying. You're frakking lying."

"Kara, you haven't even heard—"

"I don't want to frakking hear what you have to say!" she says angrily, pulling away and standing toe to toe with his father, a position Lee's been in far too many times.

"Kara—" Lee says, stepping forward and pulling her away from his father. He expects the punch and just barely dodges it, and so Kara misses. But she continues drunkenly through, and ends up hitting his father. She stops dead, face stark white, as his father grabs her hands again.

"Kara," William Adama says gently, pushing her back down into her chair. Lee can only think that this is the first time he's ever seen her speechless. "Please listen to me?"

She nods wordlessly and clutches her mug of coffee so hard, he's afraid it's going to break.


End file.
